AP
Language and Composition
Rhetoric may be
defined as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of
persuasion.
Aristotle
Course Description
“The AP English Language and Composition
course is designed to help students become skilled readers of prose written in
a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and to become
skilled writers who can compose for a variety of purposes. By their writing and
reading in this course, students should become aware of the interactions among
a writer's purposes, audience expectations, and subjects, as well as the way
generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effective
writing.” (The College Board, AP English Course Description, May 2007, May
2008, p. 6)
All
students are expected to take the AP Language and Composition Examination given
in May of 2007. With this in mind, timed AP writings as well as AP multiple
choice tests will be interspersed throughout each semester. This practice,
combined with your focused engagement, will enhance your ability to do well in
the course, to perform ably on the exam, and to move forward in your personal
and academic lives with confidence. It requires hard work and active
participation.
COURSE OUTCOMES
“Upon
completing the Language and Composition course, students should be able to:
Grading System:
Essays 30%: Students complete several timed writing
essays, in-class essays, and formative assessment essays. After modeling correct editing procedures
based on AP Rubrics, students have an opportunity to self-edit and peer-edit
their in-class essay and revise for a final grade. Final drafts make up 30% of
the quarter grade.
Tests and Quizzes 30%: Students participate in several
test-prep activities to aid them in understanding the AP multiple-choice
format. Quizzes require recognition of vocabulary, terms, and reading
comprehension. Tests consist of multiple-choice questions that require an
understanding of rhetorical devices and their function. Short answer responses that require a
critical understanding of the functionality of language are also employed.
Daily Exercises 20%: Many opportunities are available to
participate in vocabulary exercises, Socratic seminars, grammar activities,
skills-based activities based on the AP Language and Composition exam
requirements.
Homework 20%: Students create reading logs and dialectical
journals on their reading activities. They also annotate passages during close
reading in preparation for in-class activities or writing assignments.
Teaching Strategies:
AP students need a
repertoire of strategies to insure success on the AP Language and Composition
Exam. The following strategies will help them to analyze text in a meaningful
and purposeful way.
D.I.T.S. – The elements of tone
Diction refers to a
writer's (or speaker's) word choice; besides the dictionary definition of a
word (its denotation) a word can have an emotional charge or association that
creates a secondary meaning (its connotation)
Imagery refers to mental
pictures or sensations that a writer evokes in a reader. Look carefully at the
pictures that a writer creates; note his/her descriptive details in the setting
such as: colors, objects, weather, seasons, use of light or darkness, look at
any symbols and what feelings they may suggest.
Theme refers to the
author’s message or to the overarching idea that the text leads the reader to
consider. Think about the author's message; what attitude comes through in
his/her main point?
Style refers to the
writer’s use of language; is it formal, informal, technical? What details did
the writer choose to include or omit? Examine the various elements of
characterization; assess what messages the writer is sending through his
characters’ actions, reactions, thoughts, speech, physical description or other
character’s comments. What feelings are created by the writer’s plot? What
feelings are created by the conflict and how it is solved or resolved?
T.A.P.S. - General literary analysis
Topic: What is the topic
of the text?
Audience: To whom is the
message directed?
Purpose: What is the
writer’s goal?
Speaker: What can be
inferred about the speaker’s attitude toward the topic or the audience?
S.O.A.P.S.Tone - Analyzing point of view
Speaker: Is there someone
identified as the speaker? Can you make some assumptions about this person?
What class does the author come from? What political bias can be inferred? What
gender?
Occasion: What may have
prompted the author to write this piece? What event led to its publication or development?
Audience: Does the
speaker identify an audience? What assumptions can you make about the audience?
Is it a mixed audience in terms of: race, politics, gender, social class,
religion, etc.? Who was the document created for? Does the speaker use language
that is specific for a unique audience? Does the speaker evoke: Nation?
Purpose: What is the
speaker’s purpose? In what ways does the author convey this message? What seems
to be the emotional state of the speaker? How is the speaker trying to spark a
reaction in the audience? What words or phrases show the speaker’s tone? How is
this document
supposed to make you feel?
Subject: What is the
subject of the piece? How do you know this? How has the subject been selected
and presented by the author?
Tone: What is the
author’s attitude toward the subject? How is the writer’s attitude revealed?
S.O.L.L.I.D.D.D. - Analyzing rhetorical elements and author’s style
Syntax: Sentence
structure
Organization: The
structure of sections within a passage and as a whole
Literary Devices:
Metaphor, simile, personification, irony (situational, verbal and dramatic),
hyperbole, allusion, alliteration, etc.
Levels of Discourse:
Cultural levels of language act, with attendant traits (does the narrator’s
voice represent a particular social, political, or cultural viewpoint or
perspective?)
Imagery: Deliberate
appeal to the audience’s five senses
Diction: Word choice and
its denotative and connotative significance
Detail: Descriptive
items selected for inclusion
Dialogue: Spoken
exchange selected for inclusion
S.M.E.L.L. – Evaluating argumentation and persuasion
(with rhetorical appeals)
Sender/receiver
relationship: Who is the speaker? Who is the audience? What is the tone
directed from one to the other?
Message: What is the
content and/or claim?
Evidence: What kind of
evidence is given and to what extent?
Logic: What is the
quality of the reasoning? What types of appeals are being used?
Language: What stylistic
and rhetorical devices are being employed?
Unit One:
Introduction: The
Elements of Discourse
Tone:
Excerpts from:
“Death
of a Soldier” – Louisa May Alcott
“I
Have a Dream” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Autobiography of
Mark Twain
“Speech
against Conscription and War” – Emma Goldman
“The
Civil Rights Movement: What Good Was It?”– Alice Walker
“Runners
Vs. Smokers” – John Epstein
“This
Sacred Soil” – Chief Seattle
Man’s Search for
Meaning
– Victor E. Frankl
“Address
to the First Anniversary of the American Equal Rights Association” – Frances D.
Gage
“Dust
Tracks on the Road” – Zora Neale Hurston
“The
Village Watchman” – Terry Tempest Williams
Life on the
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• understand what tone is and recognize
tone in writing
• be able to recognize complementary tones
and tonal shifts in writing
Assessments:
Composition: Tone
Assessment
Discuss
the way Wendell Willkie’s tone characterizes the people of
Project: Students will create a
tone meter by taking an assigned tone word and finding 7-10 other words with
similar meanings and creating an intensity scale from least to most intense. Definitions
of words and sentences using tone words are included in this project. This is a
group project and is displayed in the room for a reference tool.
Detail:
Excerpt from:
“The
Ultimate Kitchen Gadget” – Robert Capon
“The
Stinging Cell” – John Hersey
A Narrative of
Captivity-
Mary Rowlandson
The Autobiography – Benjamin Franklin
“Canasstego:
An Offer of Help” from The Writings of
Benjamin Franklin
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• recognize that an author’s choice to use
detail must be the result of his/her purpose
Assessment:
Composition: Writing
about Detail
After
reading the excerpt from “Taming the Bicycle” by Mark Twain, in a
well-organized paragraph, discuss Twain’s use of detail to describe his experience
while learning to ride a bicycle. Be prepared to participate in peer
conferences for your paragraph.
Diction:
Excerpt from:
The Story of My Life – Helen Keller
The Joy Luck Club – Amy Tan
“Nature”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Narrative of the Life
of Frederick Douglas
Learning Goals:
Students will:
• expand their verb vocabulary
• learn that diction plays a major role in
creating tone
• learn that diction is the choice of
appropriate language for an audience
• learn how diction words are specific
words with connotation and how they can recognize an author’s purpose as a
result of analyzing the author’s word choice.
• be able to write a diction analysis
paragraph
• learn the T.A.P.S strategy
Assessment:
Composition:
Read
the excerpt from the Narrative of the
Life of Frederick Douglas, and then write a diction analysis using the
paragraph format you have learned. In your paragraph, discuss how
Figurative Language
and Imagery:
Excerpts from:
“Hell” – James Joyce
“The
Coffee
“Once
More to the
“Crack
and the Box” – Pete Hamill
I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings
– Maya Angelou
“Shooting
an Elephant” – George Orwell
“Inaugural
Address”- John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Learning Goals:
Students will:
• recognize, identify, and understand the
use of figurative language
• gain a critical ability to understand
why an author uses figurative language
Assessment:
Composition: Read the excerpt from
President John F. Kennedy’s famous inaugural speech. Discuss his use of
rhetorical devices, specifically figurative language and imagery, to make this
speech effective. Please type your rough draft. Since it is very important to
have a thorough understanding of rhetorical devices, I am requiring conferences
in order to discuss your progress.
Unit Two:
Modes and Patterns of
Discourse
Writing the Essay:
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• recognize how the subject of their
essays should develop
• learn the three significant literary
terms that are fundamental to the development of their essays (topic, thesis,
and theme).
• focus on developing skills in paragraph
unity, organization, transitions, and repetition
• avoid dependency on formulaic writing
and learn to respond to the prompt by weaving the analysis of stylistic
elements.
• revise papers for word-level clarity
• learn the seven standard methods for
writing introductions
-
open
with a question
-
relate
an appropriate anecdote or example
-
create
an image
-
begin
with a startling statement
-
open
with a quote
-
use
a definition
-
cite
an analogy
• learn the five standard methods for
writing conclusions
-
close
with a rhetorical question
-
finish
an appropriate anecdote or example begun earlier in the essay
-
close
with a simple analogy, allusion, simile, or metaphor
-
close
with a startling statement
-
close
with an appropriate quote
• learn the advanced methods for writing
introductions and conclusions
-
the
smattering
-
extended
metaphor/epic similes/analogies
-
allusions
-
parallel
characters
-
paradox
-
quotes
from the prompt
-
additional
method for conclusions is a statement of theme
Assessments:
Composition: Writing a
Character Passage Part I
Think
of a person that you know who has been memorable for you. The person might be
humorous or brave or admirable for some reason. Or the person may be memorable
for his or her differences. Write a passage in which you discuss this person,
painting for the reader his or her character so that the reader may have an
understanding of the character viewed through your eyes. You should use a
combination of elements (two or more) to discuss this person and to make him or
her “come alive” for the reader. One of your peers will be analyzing your passage,
so you need to offer sufficient information about which that person can write,
and you need to make your use of elements apparent.
Composition: Writing a
Character Passage Part II
You
are going to analyze a passage written by another student. First decide what
characteristics are most dominant about this person. Then discuss the way in
which the author reveals those dominant characteristics through the elements.
Remember not to write a paragraph about one element; the elements should
support the characteristics. Expect peer conferences with the author you
analyzed.
Composition: Essay
using advanced introduction or conclusion
Choose
someone who has played a small but significant role in your life and has
influenced your convictions. Write a well-developed analysis of that person’s
influence on you. You will go through a four-step process:
-
write
the essay
-
peer
conference
-
make
revisions and turn in your paper
-
conference
with teacher
Narration:
“Memories of a Dead Man Walking” – Sister
Helen Prejean
“Shooting
an Elephant” – George Orwell
Excerpt
from Dust Tracks on a Road – Zora
Neale Hurston
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• learn the elements of narrative
structure
• use the SOAPSTONE strategy while reading
narratives from various authors and apply it to their own written narrative.
• select a point of view and perspective
suitable for topic and audience
• present the events of their narration in
a logical and coherent order and link
events using appropriate transitional words.
• develop their voice
Composition: Short Story
You
just planned a creative masterpiece using the narrative structure and based it
on the following prompt: A person fails to turn up for an
appointment. When they are found the next day, they remember nothing of the last
24 hours. Using the ideas from another group, you will write a short
story. Students with the original story will peer-review your papers.
Composition: Narrative
Essay
As
one of the modes of expository writing, the narrative offers writers a chance
to think and write about themselves, to explain how their experiences lead to
some important realization or conclusion about their lives or about the world
in general. Each of us has memories of times that have been meaningful, of
times that have taught us lessons about others or ourselves. In a
well-developed essay, write about someone or something (experience) that has
been meaningful to you. This will be a great way to prepare for next year’s
college essay. You will create a rough draft and after you receive teacher
comments, you will revise for a polished final copy.
Description:
“One
Remembers Most What One Lost” – Asiya Tschannerl
“Quick!
Before it Crumbles: An Architecture Critic Looks at Cookie Architecture” – Paul
Goldberger
“The
Death of the Moth” – Virgina Woolf
Viewing:
Edvard
Munch’s The Scream- Joan Daremo
(visual)
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• learn how to describe a person, place,
or thing in such vivid detail that
the reader can easily form a precise mental picture of what is being written
about.
• learn to use imaginative language,
interesting comparisons, and images that appeal to the senses.
• learn the DITS strategy (diction,
imagery, theme, style) when analyzing descriptive essays.
• analyze how advertisers use description
to sell their products
• analyze how an author uses mood to
create atmosphere in descriptive writing
Assessment:
Composition:
Description Essay
Place
can significantly influence personality. The landscapes or interior spaces that
surround us often help comprise who we are. Write an essay in which you examine
and describe a specific place. Consider all of the sensory stimuli that you
encounter: smells, colors, close-up objects, distant objects, people, surfaces,
and sounds. Try to find a distinctively original place that few of your other
classmates or your teacher has seen, a place that very much interests you.
Then, spending time absorbing the atmosphere, take very specific notes about your
impressions, and then return to your writing area and structure your
impressions into a unified essay.
Comparison/Contrast
Essay
“Two
Views of a River” – Mark Twain
“My Creature from the
Black Lagoon” – Stephen King
“The
Woman Caught in Adultery” – Gospel of John
“The
New Scarlet Letter” – Cathy Booth Thomas
Viewing:
Two
photographs of a fairy (taken from my garden). One is in the summer, and one is
in the same location after an ice storm
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• make connections between texts
• evaluate the relative worth or
performance of two things by comparing them
point-for-point
• gain a deeper understanding of the items
they are comparing, their relationship
to each other, and what is most important about them.
• choose a plan for organizing their essay
(whole versus whole, topic by topic,
similarities and differences)
Assessment:
Composition:
Compare/Contrast Essay
Compare
The Woman Caught in Adultery from the
Book of John and The New Scarlet
Letter by Cathy Booth Thomas using the block format or alternating block
format. Complete your rough draft and turn in for teacher comments. You will
complete revisions in class.
Division and
Classification:
“Four Kinds of Chance”
–James H. Austin
“Shades
of Black” – Mary Bebane
Visual:
“Cloud
Chart” – Roz Chast (cartoon)
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• determine why an author classifies a
concept and what the significance is to the work as a whole.
• recognize how an author divides the
subject into major categories and subdivides
categories.
• divide their subjects into major categories,
subdivide those categories, arrange
categories into a sequence, and define each category.
• learn how to make their classification
system consistent, complete, emphatic,
and significant.
Assessment:
Composition:
Division/Classification Essay
Choose
a topic that you can categorize into new groupings (types of rock bands,
teachers, toys, etc.) Be prepared for peer conferences.
Process Analysis
Essay:
“Grounds
for Fiction” – Julia Alvarez
“How
to Mark a Book”- Mortimer Adler
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• clearly state the operation to be
explained.
• give the purpose and significance of the
instructions, indicating who uses them,
when, where and why.
• explain clearly what is to be done in
each individual step and what equipment,
materials, etc. used to complete the step.
• emphasize the important points of the
step and include any cautions or mistakes that are possible.
• include any theory underlying this part
of the process, if applicable.
Assessment:
Composition: Process
Analysis Essay
Write
a well-developed essay that is directional (tells the reader how to do
something - How to study for the AP exam) or informational (explains or
analyzes a process- What happens during an earthquake). Your peers will
determine if they understand your explanations or could follow your
instructions.
Composition: Marking a
Book
Cause-and-Effect
Analysis:
“Order
in the Classroom” – Neil Postman
“Why
McDonald’s Fries Taste So Good” – Eric Schlosser
Learning Goal:
Students
will:
• clearly distinguish between a cause and
an effect.
• establish a clear thesis statement.
• present information in an effective
order.
• have an understanding of causal relationships
• use signal words in cause-and-effect
writing
Assessment:
Composition: Cause-and-Effect
Essay
You
will write an essay that clearly states the causes and effects of one of the
following topics. If you choose to do your own topic, please check with me
first.
What
are the physical effects of anger?
What
are the effects of illiteracy?
What
are the effects of beauty? ugliness? poverty? wealth?
Humor and Satire
Essays
“A
Modest Proposal” – Jonathan Swift
“Get
a Knife, Get a Dog, but Get Rid of Guns” – Molly Ivins
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• identify the four techniques of satire in
a satirical work.
• explain how the four techniques of satire
contribute to or comment on the criticism being made by a satirical work.
•
analyze a satirical work to
determine the comment or criticism being made
about the subject it is ridiculing.
Assessment:
Now
that you have read “A Modest Proposal,” you will create a modest proposal of
your own. Take an opportunity to look through the Time Magazines that are in our classroom and find a societal problem
that needs a solution. Your essay should discuss the problem, solutions that
have already been proposed and your absurd proposal. Make sure you use the
elements of satire in your writing (exaggeration, ridicule, irony, reversal,
and incongruity).
Synthesis Essay
“Speech
to the Second Virginia Convention” – Patrick Henry
“Statistical
Summary:
“John
F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address”
“Speech
on Behalf of Republican Candidate Barry Goldwater” – Ronald Regan
“Aristotle:
On a Good Wife” – Aristotle
“Women’s
Rights are Human Rights” – Hillary Clinton
“Keynote
Address to the 1992 Democratic National Convention” – Congresswoman Barbara
Jordon
“
“Women’s
Health USA 2005”
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• be able to synthesize information from a
variety of resources
• cite sources correctly
• analyze how visual images relate to text
Composition: Are
Americans Waging War Regardless of the Cost?
If
the casualties of war outweigh the causes, is the sacrifice worth the price? After
you read the following statement, read the accompanying resources, and
synthesize the information about American wars using at least three sources for
support. Do not simply quote your sources or summarize the information.
Following each direct and indirect source, use a parenthetical citation by
identifying the sources as (Source A) and (Source B), etc.
Despite the great number of American
casualties in most of our wars, with each military conflict the
Composition: The Role
of Women in Society
The
role of women in society has evolved throughout history from being considered
merely “property” to becoming fully equal to men in the business world today.
Or has their role really changed? Is there still a gender gap in today’s
society? Read the accompanying sources about women’s changing role, and then,
in an essay that synthesizes at least three of the sources for support, take a
position concerning the following statement:
Women have attained equality with men in the
world today, holding executive jobs and drawing executive salaries while
balancing children and home life so well that they exemplify a “wonder woman.”
They have proven that they can do it all quite well. As a result, women have a
greater sense of fulfillment and independence than ever before. (Be prepared
for a teacher conference.)
Unit Three: Rhetoric
in the Lives of Individuals
Everyday Use- Hephzibah Roskelly
& David A. Joliffe (pp. 1-32)
“On
Dumpster Diving” – Lars Eighner
“Civil
Disobedience” – Henry David Thoreau
“It’s
a Woman’s World” – Eavan Boland
“Everyday
Use” – Alice Walker
“Salvation”
– Langston Hughes
“What
is Intelligence, Anyway?” – Isaac Asimov
“Getting
Ready for Work: The New ‘Hire’ Education” – Ed Shanahan
Learning Goals
Students
will:
• generate a dynamic definition of rhetoric
• understand the significance of
rhetorical analysis
• discover the techniques for generating
ideas and arguments, methods of
organization, strategies of sentence structure, tone and diction-and do it confidently.
• learn how rhetoric influences thought
and action.
• gain an understanding of persona and
tone
• understand complementary tones and tonal
shifts
• understand SOAPS and Toulmin’s model of Argumentation
• learn the S.M.E.L.L strategy for
evaluating argumentation and persuasion
• use the Classical Argumentation format
to write a persuasive essay
Test Prep: Students will take
two test preps for the multiple-choice portion of the exam. These test preps
are taken from Everyday Use and are
based on an excerpt from Tom Sawyer
and Jack Anderson and Douglas Cohn’s editorial entitled “How About One Study at
a Time?”
Composition: Timed
Writing Analysis
In
the first paragraph of “Civil Disobedience,” Henry David Thoreau attempts to
define himself in the context of the greater American government. What
rhetorical strategies does Thoreau use and how does he define both government
and the individual? You may want to consider such rhetorical devices as
diction, tone, and point of view.
Composition:
Argumentation
Defend,
challenge or qualify the claim that “the educational foundations of our society
are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our
very future as a nation and a people.” Rough drafts with teacher comments and
final drafts are to be expected. Be prepared for peer reviews and dialogue.
Unit Four: Society and the Individual
• “The Crucible” –Arthur Miller
• “Half-Hanged Mary”
• “Witch Hunts, Pledges, and Blacklists”
• “White Privilege: Unpacking the
Invisible Knapsack” – Peggy McIntosh
• “Outraged Americans Clamor for Katrina
Scapegoat” – Beth Gorham
• “The Greenies” – William Goodykoontz
• “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” –
Jonathan Edwards
• Excerpts from The Culture of Fear: Why
Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong
Things – Barry Glassner
• Excerpts
from
• “The Penalty
of Death” – H. L. Mencken
• “The
Death Penalty is a Step Back” – Coretta Scott King
Viewing:
• Video: Goodnight and Good Luck. Senator Joseph
McCarthy uses fear, falsehoods, and belligerence to become arguably the most
powerful man in the land.
• PBS Video: Time of Fear. This video tells the story of 16,000 men,
women, and children who were sent to two relocation camps in
southeast-Arkansas. It tells the powerful tale of racism and resilience that
still resonates today.
Learning Goals
Students
will:
• learn the literary elements of drama
• learn methods of characterization
• learn the context of history of
Puritanism and the Salem Witch Trials.
• read analytically. Identify themes,
irony, symbolism, and other
literary devices found in the play (imagery, allusions, figurative language,
paradox, absurdity).
• learn the principles behind writing a
classical argumentation essay
• learn how to avoid using fallacies in argumentation
• understand how prejudice, fear, and
ignorance are often the roots of mass hysteria
• learn the basic elements needed for
writing an effective definition essay
• learn the S.O.L.L.I.D.D.D. strategy for analyzing
rhetorical elements and author’s style
• examine sentence-fluency in their essays
Assessments:
Quizzes: Reading
comprehension
Quizzes: Vocabulary from each
Act
Composition: Analysis
(Timed Writing)
Jonathan
Edwards uses figures of speech to compare abstract concepts of God’s wrath and
sinner’s evil to common experiences. Discuss his diction and use of imagery to
convey these abstract concepts.
Poetry: Create a found poem
on the theme “Defending Your Truth.”
Composition: Definition Essay
After
creating a working definition of “mass hysteria” and listening to my definition
of mass hysteria based on my personal experiences after 9/11, convince me that
you have the perfect definition for “mass hysteria” based on an experience you
encountered at one point in your life.
Composition:
Argumentation
Based
on John Proctor’s decision, defend, challenge, or qualify the statement that it
is nobler to die with integrity than to live with compromised principles that
harm others.
Composition:
Compare/Contrast
In
a well-written essay, compare and contrast one of the characters from The Crucible with one of the characters
from
Composition: Reading
Log Journal Entries
You
will keep a reading log that identifies the themes discussed throughout The Crucible. You will receive a handout with questions to help you in your
responses.
Composition:
Argumentation (Timed Writing)
Defend,
challenge or qualify the claim that capital punishment is the only way to deter
crime. After I evaluate your essay, using the overhead project, we will examine
sentence fluency using student essays as models. Be prepared for final
revisions.
Unit Five: The Individual versus Society and Morality
• The
Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne
• “The Sick Rose” – William Blake
• “The Case for Animal Rights” – Tom Regan
• “Politics and the English Language” –
George Orwell
• “The Good News Is: These Are Not the
Best Years of Your Life” – Gloria
Steinem
Learning Goals
Students
will:
• gain an understanding of
• recognize the symbols and motifs
• identify irony in The Scarlet Letter
• gain an understanding of narrative
structure and how it is used in The Scarlet Letter
• gain a deeper understanding of
rhetorical modes
Assessments:
Quizzes: Reading Comprehension
Quizzes: Vocabulary for
chapters 1-2, 5-8, 9-12, 13-18, and 19-completion of novel
Composition: Journal
Entry (chapters 1-4)
“There
is provision, alike marvelous and merciful, that the sufferer should never know
the intensity of what he endures by its present torture, but chiefly by the
pang that rankles it.” What experience in your life has been to a degree, like
this-worse in retrospect than while you were experiencing it?
Composition: Journal
Entry (chapters 1-4)
To
what degree are moral transgressions judged in a public forum today? Are they
evaluated as harshly as in the Puritan era? How do public judgments of moral
issues shape society and the individual?
Composition: Journal
Entry (Chapters 5-8)
A
modern reader who judges harshly the inclination of Governor Bellingham and Mr.
Wilson to remove
Composition: Journal
Entry (Chapters 9-12)
Should
a father take responsibility for his family even if it ruins his reputation?
Are there ever circumstances when a father’s identity should be kept a secret
from the children? What is your opinion of Arthur Dimmesdale at this point in
the story?
Composition: Journal
Entry (Chapters 13-18)
Composition: Journal
Entry (Chapters 20-end)
The
townspeople present at the minister’s revelation do not agree on exactly what
they saw on the scaffold, nor on its significance. When have you interpreted
differently from others? How can you account for differing views in your
personal experience? How can you account for them in the novel?
Make
a list of women protagonists from movies or other works of literature. What are
the qualities they most commonly possess? Does Hester Prynne possess these
traits? What comment does that make upon the expectations society has of women?
Composition: Analysis
Now
that you have completed your symbolism project for The Scarlet Letter, you will complete a literary analysis on three
of the symbols that had a significant impact on the novel as a whole.
Composition: Analysis
After
reading “The Leech” from The Scarlet Letter, write a
well-developed essay analyzing how
Composition: Personal
Reaction Essay
You
are going to write an essay based on your experiences when you wore the letter
of your transgression. How did it feel when students responded to the letter of
your transgression? Did it make you feel uncomfortable? How would you feel if
you had to wear that symbol for the rest of your life? Compare your reactions
to Hester’s reaction.
Unit Six: Propaganda
and the Individual
“Joeseph
Goebbels on Propaganda, 1934”
“A
Mother’s Tale” – James Agee
The Poisonous Mushroom (anti-Semitic
children’s book publish by Julius Streicher)
“The
Jew” – Joseph Goebbels
Viewing:
Triumph of the Will- Leni Reifenstahl
(video clips)
“The
Political Dr. Seuss” (political cartoons)
World
War II Propaganda Posters taken from the German Propaganda Archive at
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• form opinions based on critical
examination of relevant information
• learn to recognize propaganda in oral,
written, and visual communication
• recognize propaganda techniques and how
they affect the public in wartime
• integrate a variety of resources on
propaganda into a coherent, well-written essay
• recognize propaganda techniques
identified by the Institute for
Propaganda Analysis
Assessments:
Test: Propaganda Techniques (definition and recognition)
Composition: Synthesis
You
will synthesize a variety of resources (World War II posters, political
cartoons, and excerpts from short stories and essays) for support as you
defend, challenge, or qualify the claim that the “mind of a few can control the
masses.”
Project: After viewing and
discussing Nazi propaganda, you will form groups and choose a medium to create
your own propaganda project. Each medium will discuss the current war with
Unit Seven: An
Individual’s Right to be Free
“Speech
to the Virginia Convention” – Patrick Henry
“The
Declaration of
“Letter
to the Reverend Samson Occom” – Phillis Wheatley
“Letter
to John Adams” – Abigail Adams
“Stride
Toward Your Freedom” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I
Have a Dream” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Letter
from
“Protect
Ourselves” – Malcolm X
Viewing:
“Patrick
Henry before the Virginia House of Burgesses” (visual)
Video: History of Independence Day
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• recognize the logical modes of
persuasion in text
• evaluate the credibility of information
sources, including how a writer’s
motivation may affect that credibility
• analyze how reasoned arguments are
structured in persuasive rhetoric
Composition: Personal
Response
Choose
a famous phrase from the Declaration of Independence-“all men are created
equal” or “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”- and explore what the
phrase means to you in a personal essay.
Composition: Letter
Write
your own literary letter addressing the topic of liberty.
Composition:
Argumentation
After
considering the ideas of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Patrick Henry,
write a persuasive essay about the use of violence to achieve a goal. Anticipate
peer reviews and revising and editing in class and out of class.
Composition: Photo
Essay on
As
a team of freedom fighter correspondents, you have been commissioned by Life Magazine to create a photo essay that
tracks the journey of men and women who have struggled to obtain freedom in our
country. As a photojournalist, you pride yourself on your ability to creatively
combine images, sounds, and words into compelling stories about what these men
and women experienced and how they brought about change.
Unit Eight:
Argumentation Research
Students
will take the knowledge they have and write an argumentative research paper
based on a social issue they feel strongly about.
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• research the topic using different types
of resources (newspapers, television,
radio, internet, magazines, etc.)
• learn how to correctly cite sources
using the Modern Language Associate, American Psychological Association, and
The Chicago Manual of Style format.
• accurately cite resources in the
argumentation research paper (student choice for recognized editorial style)
• develop a strong and convincing argument
about the topic
• establish a claim
• cite primary and secondary sources to
support their claim
• use proper parenthetical citations for
direct and indirect resources
• complete a step-by-step process to
complete the paper.
Assessment
Composition:
Argumentation Research Paper
Thomas
Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X had powerful ideas about
political and social problems, and they believed that one way to solve them was
by persuading others to think and act as they did. All persuasive writing
serves this basic purpose, although it is not always about such world-shaking
issues. Think about an issue that concerns you, research it, and write an essay
that convinces others to agree with you to the point of action.
Once
you choose your topic, you will journey through a systematic process before you
actually start writing the paper. You will complete many of these steps in
class or in the library.
Unit Nine: The Spirit
of Individualism
Excerpts
from Walden- Henry David Thoreau
“Civil
Disobedience” -Henry David Thoreau (Argumentation)
“Living
with Weasels” – Annie Dillard
“Self-Reliance”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Nature”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
“An
American Scholar” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Viewing:
Henry David Thoreau:
Themes and Images
directed by Clearvue. This is a video
that looks at the world through the eyes of this sensitive, uniquely American
writer.
Walden: 150th
Anniversary Edition:
The writings of one of
Music:
“Different
Drum” – Linda Rondstadt
Learning Goals
Students
will:
• understand the basic principles of
transcendentalism and the principal components of the philosophy
• understand the consequences of civil
disobedience and apply that knowledge
to historical events, current events, and their own lives
• evaluate Thoreau and Emerson’s roles as
individuals within their community
• determine their individual role in
society
• evaluate an individual’s need to
simplify
• develop an awareness of an author’s use
of language
Assessments:
Quizzes: Students are quizzed
on the vocabulary in each reading
Test: Students are tested on
views of transcendentalism as reflected in the readings
Composition: Analysis
In
a well-developed essay, discuss how Dillard uses language (diction, detail,
syntax) to make her essay read like poetry. You will complete a rough draft and
then you will participate in a peer-editing process. After the peer editing, I
will read your paper and you will conference with me.
Composition: Analysis
Once
your tracking posters are complete (a tracking poster uses a poster format to
“track” one of the main motifs in a novel), you will have a thesis based on one
of the themes we studied (Individualism, Nature as a reflection of Divinity,
Non-conformity, and Simplicity). In a well-developed essay, discuss the theme
from your tracking poster using ample evidence from each of the pieces we
studied over the course of this unit (“Self-Reliance,” “Nature,” “An American
Scholar,” Walden, and “Civil
Disobedience”). Once again, you will complete a rough draft and conference with
me.
Composition:
Argumentation
Now
that you have finished “Civil Disobedience”, you have a greater understanding
of Thoreau’s views. Do you agree or disagree with him? Using one of the
following quotations, defend your own belief on government and the role of
citizens. Peer editing conferences and final drafts are to be expected.
Thoreau: “If the injustice is
part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it
go…perchance it will wear smooth-certainly the machine will wear out…If it is
of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another,
then, I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the
machine.”
Socrates: “An individual must
do what his city or country demands of him or he must change their view of what
is just.”
Kennedy: “Ask not what your
country can do for you but what you can do for your country.”
Unit Ten: The Individual
and the American Dream
The Great Gatsby-F. Scott Fitzgerald
“Winter
Dreams” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
“When
the Negro was in Vogue” – Langston Hughes
“The
Mall of America” – David Guterson
“Soap
and Water” – Anzia Yezierska
Viewing:
Gatsby Summer
Afternoon 2004-
put on by Art Deco Society of California
1920’s
photos of gangsters, fashion, flappers, and prohibition
Learning Goals
Students
will:
• become familiar with, and learn to
identify examples of symbolism, theme,
and other literary devices.
• complete several written assignments,
aimed at helping them understand
character development and the mindset of the Lost Generation.
• demonstrate their knowledge of the unit
materials in an informa journal and
class discussion.
• demonstrate their knowledge of the
function of historical and symbolic
elements of the novel in a two-page, typed paper.
Assessment:
Quizzes: Reading Comprehension
Quizzes: Vocabulary
Composition: Definition Essay
What
is your definition of the American Dream?
Composition: Comparison/Contrast
Essay
Compare
Yzierska's short story, "Soap and Water," to Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby.
Final Unit: Our Journey through
the Year: Developing the summer reading project for next year’s AP Language and
Composition Students
Reading List for Literature Circles:
A Lesson before Dying – Earnest Gaines
The Things They Carried – Tim O’Brien
Catcher in the
The Jungle – Upton Sinclair
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- Mark Twain
The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
Ethan Frome- Edith Wharton
The Last of the Mohicans- James Fenimore Cooper
The Red Badge of Courage – Stephen Crane
Black like Me – John Howard Griffin
The Old Man and the Sea – Earnest Hemingway
Moby Dick – Herman Melville
Twelve Angry Men – Reginald Rose
Johnny Got his Gun –
Native Son – Richard Wright
Learning Goals:
Students
will:
• participate in literature circles by
being active listeners and fulfilling their assigned roles
• synthesize the information they have
learned throughout the year
• transfer their knowledge to a project for
next year’s students
• gain project management skills by
learning the role of individual responsibility and assessing/evaluating the
final product of team members
Assessment:
Project: If
literature is as Alexander Isayervish Solkhenitsy says, “A living memory of a
nation,” what project can you create that will keep the memory alive and spark
a genuine interest for reading literature in your peers?
Now that
you have completed your literature circles using the books from the approved
reading list, you will create a website that will grab the attention of next
year’s AP Language and Composition students. Your website will have links to
complete their summer reading project. You have several options to choose from
for assessment.The most important aspect of this project is to demonstrate
academic rigor. A writing prompt is another essential element in this project
because it will be an additional assessment tool.
Additional assessments used throughout the year:
Parallel Assessment: Students complete a
mid-term parallel assessment using an actual AP exam. Students also receive
feedback on these exams that examine areas that they will need to work on for
improvement.
Portfolio Assessment: For their culminating
project, students will prepare a reflective portfolio of their work at the end
of the year.
Literary Glossary of
Terms: Familiarity
with the special vocabulary used in literary criticism is essential for AP
Language and Composition students. Over a ten-week period, students will create
a glossary of literary devices to familiarize themselves with the terminology.
This is an independent project that requires two entries per week. Students
will define the term, provide an example from text, and discuss how this
particular device functions within the text.
Independent Reading
Project:
Students will read an American author and complete two projects. The first
project focuses on the author’s use of diction, characterization, plot,
setting, and style. Students have a choice of activities in each of the
categories listed above. The second project requires six annotated bibliography
entries on the author’s life and works. Students will write a newspaper article
using a style and tone similar to news writing. They will also write an
editorial on their novel, which allows them to critique the work.